Green Moong Dal
Healthy, wholesome, and protein-rich green moong dal (also known as green gram dal) makes a perfect comforting meal when served with rice, roti, or paratha.
My Recipe! (Instant Pot Green Moong Dal)
This green moong dal recipe was first shared in Nov 2013. That time, mung beans were pressure cooked first and then added into cooked onion tomato masala.
For the last 6 years, I have been making this in instant pot and I have updated this post and shared that method in step-by-step photos.
Meal prep friendly: make a big batch of this sabut moong dal and have it for a lunch or freeze it for later.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need basic, easy-to-find ingredients to make this delicious whole moong dal curry.
Step By Step Photos (With Tips)
Note: Usually I prepare this green mung curry as a freezer meal prep (more details on that below). So you’ll see a double batch here in the pics.
1) Rinse & Soak Mung Beans:
- Rinse green moong beans using water by messaging with your hands 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore.
- Soak in enough water (1-2 inches water above the beans) for 4-5 hours. Alternatively, you can skip the soaking step.
- Discard the soaking water and use fresh water for cooking beans.
Soak Or No Soak?
– I prefer to soak my beans for at least 2 hours to make them easy to digest.
– However, you can skip soaking these green moong beans if you’re in a rush.
– Cooking time will vary slightly depending on whether you have soaked or not. I have mentioned both cook times below.
2) Saute Onion:
Temper cumin seeds and hing in hot oil and saute onion until soft, light pink or translucent in color.
Tip: Add a pinch of salt to speed up the onion cooking process.
3) Crush Ginger, Garlic, Green chili:
While onion is cooking, crush ginger, garlic, and green chili together in a small grinder. I prefer to use a wet jar of my spice grinder.
Alternatively, you can use readymade ginger garlic paste and finely chopped green chilies.
4) Saute Ginger, Garlic, Green chili:
Once the onion is cooked, add crushed ginger, garlic, and chili and saute for 1 minute or until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
5) Add Tomatoes & Spices:
Mix in chopped tomatoes along with spices powders (turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder) and salt.
6) Cook Mung Beans:
- Add soaked beans with fresh water and stir.
- Cover the instant pot with a lid, keep the valve in a sealing position, and pressure cook.
Instant Pot:
– Soaked Beans: Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes
– Not-Soaked Beans: Manual (High Pressure) for 15 minutes
StoveTop Pressure Cooker:
– Soaked beans: 1 whistle on high + 10 minutes on medium-low.
– Not-Soaked Beans: 1 whistle on high + 20 minutes on medium-low.
- Let the pressure go down by itself. When the pin drops, open the lid.
- Adjust the consistency by adding hot water.
- Lastly, add garam masala, lemon juice, and cilantro.
Expert Tips
Freeze Green Moong Dal
- In the freezer, this green gram dal stays good for up to 3 months.
- Divide it into family-portion size containers, label, and freeze.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours on the countertop.
TIP: Always add lemon juice and cilantro after thawing. So if making for freezer meal prep purposes then skip adding lemon juice and cilantro.
Check Out Other Beans Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below. If you’re sharing it on your Instagram then don’t forget to tag me @spice.up.the.curry
Green Moong Dal Recipe – Instant Pot (Green Gram Dal)
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole green moong dal (Green gram dal)
- 3 – 4 cups Water, for Instant Pot cooking
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- ¾ cup Red onion, ~ 1 medium, chopped
- 1 inch Ginger
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Green chili, Crush ginger, garlic, chili together
- 1 cup Tomato, ~ 2 medium, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 3 teaspoons Cumin-coriander powder, Dhana-jiru
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice or Lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash sabut green moong beans under running cold water until the water runs clear. Or rinse them in a bowl using water 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore.
- Soak in enough water (1-2 inches of water above the beans) for 4-5 hours. Alternatively, you can skip the soaking step.
- Turn on the instant pot with saute mode. Once hot add oil and cumin seeds. Let the cumin seeds sizzle a bit.
- Add hing and immediately add onion with a little salt. Cook until onion turns soft and translucent.
- Add crushed ginger, garlic, and green chili and saute for a minute or until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
- Add tomato and cook for a minute.
- Add the remaining salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and cumin-coriander powder. Mix well.
- Discard the soaking water and add soaked mung beans along with fresh water. Stir well.
- Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve in a sealing position.Soaked Beans: Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutesNot-Soaked Beans: Manual (High Pressure) for 15 minutes
- Let the pressure go down by itself (NPR – Natural Pressure Release). Once the pin drops open the lid.
- If needed adjust the consistency by adding hot water.
- Lastly, add garam masala, and lemon juice and mix.
- Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Soaked beans: 1 whistle on high + 10 minutes on medium-low.
- Not-Soaked Beans: 1 whistle on high + 20 minutes on medium-low.
Easy, quick and a healthy recipe..
Turned out good.. Had it with chapathi..
My 4 yr old liked it too.. Best way to include protein in diet.. Thanks for the share!!!
Very glad to know that it came out good
Thank you for the simple recipe, I have made it several times. My daughter absolutely loves its.
very glad to know that she loved it